The Knot
by H. Lokidottir
Summary: Ms. Potts' article on how to plan the perfect wedding for a megalomaniac couple. FrostIron Established Relationship.


_This is not to be taken seriously. I was watching say yes to the dress and the first thing that came to my mind was Pep like 'I'M DONE. WHILE YOU'RE ON YOUR HONEYMOON, I'M GOING ON VACATION.' This is Ms. Potts' describing how she planned Tony and Loki's wedding without ending up in a loony bin. The italics are the thoughts that she left out of the official document! NO BASHING. She has heart. Team Pepper. _

The Knot

by Virginia 'Pepper' Potts

In order to create the perfect celebration, use this comprehensive wedding checklist, with a timeline based on the 16-month length of the average U.S. engagement.

**Start a wedding folder or binder.**

Begin leafing through bridal, lifestyle, fashion, gardening, design, and food magazines for inspiration. _If this is a Stark-Odinson wedding, the folder is endless._

**Work out your budget.**

Determine how much you have to spend, based on your families' contributions and your own_. If you're Tony, budget is not a word in your vocabulary._

**Pick your wedding party.**

As soon as you're engaged, people will start wondering who's in. _If one of the fiancés is of Asgard, you can't prepare for what you're in for._

**Start the guest list.**

Make a head count database to use throughout your planning process, with columns for contact info, RSVPs, gifts, and any other relevant information. _It is easier said than done._

**Hire a planner, if desired.**

A planner will have relationships with—and insights about—vendors. _Or you can persuade your naïve best friend and ex PA. _

**Reserve your date and venues.**

Decide whether to have separate locations for the ceremony and the reception, factoring in travel time between the two places. _It is even more complicated when we're talking about two different realms._

**Book your officiant. **_Or Odin Allfather if that's the case. _

**Research photographers, bands, florists, and caterers. **_Do not let Loki get too involved. The consequences shall not be pretty. _

**Keep their contact information in your binder. **_Or make Pep do it for you. _

**Throw an engagement party, if you wish.**

But remember that your invitees should be on your wedding guest list as well. _Asgardians do know how to party._

**Eight Months Before**

**Hire the photographer and the videographer.**

No need to talk specifics yet, but be sure that the people you hire are open to doing the shots that you want. _Or what Loki wants._

**Book the entertainment.**

Attend gigs of potential acts to see how they perform in front of audiences, then reserve your favorite. _If the Avengers or the people of Asgard are invited, you will not need to hire anything at all._

**Meet caterers.**

If your wedding venue doesn't offer its own catering service, look for one now and hire the service this month or early next. _Pay extreme attention to this when Volstagg is on the list._

**Purchase a dress.**

You'll need to schedule time for at least three fittings. Veil shopping can be postponed for another two to three months. _Or you could just simply decide to wear golden horns and a green cape._

**Reserve a block of hotel rooms for out-of-town guests.**

Pick three hotels at different price points close to the reception venue. _Be careful at choosing while dealing with guest from other worlds._

**Seven to Six Months Before**

**Select and purchase invitations**

Hire a calligrapher, if desired. Addressing cards is time-consuming, so you need to budget accordingly. _Always remember to make sure the bride is happy. Or else…_

**Start planning a honeymoon.**

Make sure that your passports are up-to-date, and schedule doctors' appointments for any shots you may need. _It can get complicated if one of the grooms is a Norse deity._

**Shop for bridesmaids' dresses.**

Allow at least six months for the dresses to be ordered and sized. _But how could care less about the size when you're Natasha Romanoff._

**Meet with the officiant.**

Map out the ceremony and confirm that you have all the official documents for the wedding (these vary by county and religion). _Extremely bemusing when the officiant is an actual god._

**Book a florist.**

Florists can serve multiple clients on one day, which is why you can wait a little longer to engage one. Plus, at this point, you'll be firm on what your wedding palette will be. _If you manage to have a palette in the first place._

**Start composing a day-of timeline**

Draw up a schedule of the event and slot in each component (the cake-cutting, the first dance). _Have some Valium at hand. Trust me on this. _

**Five to Four Months Before**

**Book the rehearsal and rehearsal-dinner venues.**

Negotiate the cost and the menu. If you're planning to host a day-after brunch for guests, book that place as well._ Never mind the non-existent budget._

**Check on the wedding invitations.**

Ask the stationer for samples of the finished invitations and revise them to suit your needs. _Odds are something is always wrong with them._

**Select and order the cake.**

Some bakers require a long lead time. Attend several tastings before committing to any baker. _Once again, the last thing you want to do is deal with a bridezilla on a rampage._

**Purchase wedding shoes and start dress fittings.**

Bring the shoes along to your first fitting so the tailor can choose the appropriate length for your gown._ Or the length of your cape._

**Schedule hair and makeup artists.**

Make a few appointments with local experts to try them out. Snap a photo at each so you can compare results. _Not necessary if both grooms have awesome hair._

**Choose your music.**

What should be playing when the wedding party is announced? During dinner? To kick off the dancing? Keep a running list of what you want—and do not want—played. _This list might not exist if you let Tony choose the deejay._

**Three Months Before**

**Finalize the menu and flowers**.

You'll want to wait until now to see what will be available, since food and flowers are affected by season. _If you're a powerful mage, that wouldn't be a problem at all._

**Make a list of the people giving toasts.**

Which loved ones would you like to have speak at the reception? Ask them now. _There's no way to make sure they will be sober at the time of the toast._

**Finalize the readings.**

Determine what you would like to have read at the ceremony—and whom you wish to do the readings. _This is the time when you might find yourself shedding tears of joy for your friend, even if you have been through a modern times Calvary._

**Purchase your undergarments.**_ This pretty much goes without saying._

**Purchase the rings. **

This will give you time for resizing and engraving. _If you're a sorcerer, you'll probably do the engraving yourself._

**Two Months Before**

**Touch base again with all the vendors.**

Make sure any questions you or they had on your first draft have been answered_. If the bride is a former war criminal, you can be sure they have had. _

**Submit a newspaper wedding announcement. **

If you're planning to include a photograph, check the publication's website: Some have strict rules about how the photo should look. _Or the human vultures fighting for a place in the Avengers wedding. _

**Enjoy a bachelorette party**.

Arranging a night out with your girlfriends generally falls to the maid of honor. But if she hasn't mentioned one to you by now, feel free to ask—for scheduling purposes, of course!—if a celebration is in the works. _When you're planning a wedding, you could always use some booze. _

**One Month Before**

**Stock the bar. **

Now that you have a firm head count you can order accordingly_. In a Stark wedding there will be enough and to spare… _

**Assign seating**

Draw out table shapes on a layout of the room to help plan place settings. Write the names of female guests on pink sticky notes and the names of male guests on blue sticky notes so you can move people about without resketching the entire setting. _Unfortunately, chances are few will stay in their respective seat…_

**Write vows, if necessary. **_This is the part every woman loves in a wedding._

**Week of the Wedding**

**Book a spa treatment**.

Make an appointment for a manicure and a pedicure the day before the wedding. (You might want to get a stress-relieving massage, too.) _It doesn't hurt to invite your hard-working wedding planner._

**Break in your shoes.** _Or leather boots._

**Pack for your honeymoon**. _And if you have planned this wedding and still kept your sanity intact… Go get yourself a vacation._


End file.
